I can't stop thinking about you
by LorelaiLoriHuntzberger
Summary: What if Emily and Richard were more involved with Rory's life. What if Rory grew up with the Chilton group. Set at the beginning of season 3
1. Paris and Phone Calls

I can't get you out of my head

Chapter 1 – Paris and Phone calls

Disclaimer I own nothing I am using some dialogue from the show as a starting point

Slightly AU Emily and Richard were more involved in Rory's life and she when to school since the age of 5 with all the Chilton students. She is still the regular old Rory and she still lives in Stars Hollow but Emily and Richard arranged for a driver all through her youth until she was 16 and they bought her a car. It is the summer before senior year and Sookie's wedding happened she kissed Jess. All the Stars Hollow drama happened but she's had friends from Chilton there with her through a bit of it nothing certain yet. Rory is dating Dean and she never had a boyfriend before him.

I'm gonna try to get this to follow the storyline of season 3 but I may go off on a tangent

Paris and Rory are in Washington and Paris is getting ready for her date with Jamie, Rory is on the phone with Dean and she is also sitting in front of a computer talking on AIM with Jess. "My plane gets in at three" Rory said into the phone

"I'm in at six" Dean answered

Looking at the computer Rory read what Jess wrote

NewYorkerJM says: Hey how's Paris?

Suddenly Rory hears Paris mumbling to herself "Red, Purple, green – where the hell is it?

HarvardandCoffee says: stressing. She's got a date and no he's not blind or in any way insane that I know of. Rory typed back and remembering Dean on the phone "You get in at six so that gives me three hours to make myself presentable. Hmm, perhaps I'll go blonde." She said to him to make it appear like she had been formulating the response while she had really been talking to Jess.

"I strongly request that you don't" Dean replied oblivious to the fact that Rory's mind had drifted.

Concentrate on Dean Rory thought "Afraid of change?" she asked him.

"No,' he replies 'I just like what I have."

"Oh! Be still my heart a man who settles." She said thinking that no one should have to settle, not even Dean.

: I miss you" Dean said noticing her lack of focus on their conversation.

"I miss you, too." Rory answered more out of habit then real sentiment.

"Rory!" Paris groaned "Stop being cute. I need help here."

"I have to go Paris is going into meltdown mode."

"Oh ok." Dean said thinking that if Paris was going to meltdown she could do it on her own time. "I love you."

"Yea I've gotta go major freak out here. Bye"

"Bye." He said but he realised that he was saying it to the dial tone.

"I had a black sweater and now it's gone." Paris muttered into her closet.

"Ok Paris you have to calm down, I'm not talking about right now I mean in general calm down."

"But . . . but I'm not dressed yet and I haven't picked out the restaurant from my Zagat guide and he's almost here, and I'm going on a date the last time I did this it didn't go too well."

"Yea I know I still haven't gotten my mother's mini-skirt back."(The Third Lorelai 118 Paris' date with Tristan) "At least you're not taking note cards with you this time" Paris squirmed under Rory's glare. "Paris hand them over. NOW!" Rory told her. "You have talked to this guy everyday for weeks I think that you can handle an evening out with him."

"I can't do this." She said grudgingly reaching into her pocket and handed the note cards to Rory.

"Do what?"

"Date. I can't date. I'm not genetically set up for it. I don't do small talk and I don't flirt I don't get the cute top and flirty skirt thing. What if I fall for him and he doesn't like me?"

"Well you look great to me cute top. Check. Flirty skirt. Check. And if he doesn't like you you'll find someone else."

"But what if there's no one else?"

"Then I'll buy you some cats. Now be nice to the lady who dressed you. If you're nice I'll give you the same advice my mother gave me on my first date with Dean. She said 'Listen, the talking part, you just get used to. The hair twirl I can teach you. And the leaving him amazed part -- with your brain and killer blue eyes I'm not worried. You'll do fine. Just give yourself a little time to get there.'(This is from Kiss and Tell) As she's talking the doorbell rings "Now go he's here"

"How do I know if he's right for me?"

"You'll know just let it happen and you'll find a guy who compliments you."

"Well if he insulted you then he wouldn't be a good date would he?"

"You'll find someone who likes the same things that you do but not everything that'd be boring. You'll know."

"Okay. Now get in the closet."

"What?" If he sees you standing there while he's thinking about dating and you're looking all dateable he won't want to date me."

"No but I'll hide behind the door if it helps."

"Fine." Paris said opening the door to Jamie.

"Hi."

"Hi Paris you look very nice." Jamie says as Rory's cell phone rings and Rory runs out from her hiding place.

"Sorry." She said answering her phone "Hi." She says.

"Guess who." The voice on the other end says

"Hey, Jess." She replies

"Do you like Italian food?" Jamie asks

"Yea I love Italian food,"

"Good. I made reservations at a great place. Well, at least that's what the Zagat guide says."

"You're perfect."

"Bye Rory." Jamie said to Rory who absentmindedly sent him a weak wave because she was so engrossed in her conversation with Jess.

"So why did you call?" Rory asked

"Well we were talking on AIM and then you weren't there so I got bored and called you.

"Paris went into meltdown mode. She just left for a date; they were standing in the doorway when you called. I think I scared Jamie when I came out from behind the door."

"What were you doing behind the door?"

"Long story. Maybe I'll tell you some other time. Maybe." She laughed into the phone.

Thanks so much for reading this I haven't written anything in a few years and I hope that my latest attempt was good. Logan and Tristan are going to be in this story eventually.

LORI


	2. Going Home

I Can't Stop Thinking About You

2 – Coming Home

Disclaimer – I own nothing to do with Gilmore Girls

WOW reviews

Maxmouse23 – Thank you. I like to think that I'm unique.

Lucas'girl – Don't worry she will not be ending up with Dean. I have always hated him or at least after episode 2 he was sweet only at the very beginning.

brown-eyed-beauty87 – I know there's a lot f dialogue and I'm actually looking for a way to tone it down. Any suggested methods would be greatly appreciated

Danger1Zone1988 – I'm not actually sure who she's going to end up with I'm kinda winging this as I go.

Thanks to all of you for the reviews. I am looking for a Beta reader to revise my work and help me make the story interesting and readable. Anyone interested in betaing my story just say so in your review.

This is filed as a ROGAN but I haven't decided who she's going to end up with.

I'm gonna try to update every week or so maybe sooner or maybe longer.

Where we left off last time

"What were you doing behind the door?"

"Long story. Maybe I'll tell you some other time. Maybe." She laughed into the phone.

That evening when Paris came home Rory had fallen asleep with her phone at her ear. Paris picked the phone up when it fell to the floor and held it up to her ear and heard someone's even breathing on the other end. Laughing to herself, floating from her date she smiled into the phone and closed it.

The next morning Rory woke up and got dressed and finished packing her bags to go home. As she was closing her last suitcase Paris walked in and handed her a chocolate chip muffin and a very large steaming mug of coffee.

"You missed breakfast, and I really don't want to be on a plane with you if you haven't had your coffee."

"Thank you, I worship you I bow down before you. I will now proceed to build an altar in you image. So how was your date? I didn't hear you get in."

"It was great; he was great, it was just great."

"That's great."

"Yea great."

"Okay new word."

"Alabaster."

"What?"

"That's what I want you to make the statue of."

Back in Stars Hollow Lorelai was getting her morning coffee fix and her morning Luke fix.

"Coffee, coffee, coffee!" Lorelai shot off as she entered Luke's

"No."

"Luke, please."

"No you've got too much energy already to actually need more coffee." He said prolonging the exchange, trying to goad her into doing something distinctly 'Lorelai'.

"Fine." She said as she sat down and picked up one of his napkin dispenser emptied it out and started putting the napkins in individually counting out loud as she did. By the time she got to 4 there was a large steaming cup of coffee in front of her and Luke quickly gathered the napkins she had taken out of the dispenser and shoved them back in. "Hey I wanted to find out how many fit into the dispenser."

"You got your coffee but if you really want to know fill your boots." He said going back into the kitchen and coming out with three empty napkin dispensers and a large package of napkins.

"That's ok." Lorelai said. She sat there for a few minute quietly drinking her coffee before she set some money down on the table and walked out of the diner. (I really like how Luke and Lorelai got together on the show so I'm gonna stick close to that, but I may speed it up)

When Lorelai got to the inn Sookie was missing, no one knew where to find her. It was getting closer to lunch time. This time of the morning Sookie was usually running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Lorelai pulled out her cell phone and dialed Sookie's number. Sookie picked up on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Hey Sookie. Where are you?"

"I'm at the furniture store."

"Why?"

"My house is too girly."

"And that sent you to the furniture store?"

"Yes! Jackson is moving in and he's a boy."

"Yes he's a boy and if he wasn't then you would have a few things to explain to your family."

"Yes but he's a boy and my place is girly and he's a boy."

"Sookie he likes your house. He's been in your house and he likes it."

"Okay fine. Are you going to come in and make lunch?"

"Yea I'll see you in ten minutes."

"Bye."

The plane trip back to Washington was spent in relative silence until they were about 5 minutes from Hartford and Paris turned to Rory and said "Which one?"

"Which one what?"

"You know what I mean. Which one are you going to choose? Dean or Jess?"

"I'm with Dean you know that."

"You spent a lot longer talking to Jess this summer than Dean."

"No I didn't."

"Sure you keep telling yourself that. If you weren't with Dean who would you pick?"

"Dean. Why who would you pick?"

"Jess, I know I only really talked with him once but he knows books, and Dean does he know books?"

"Hey he read Jane Austin."

"Yea but did he do it on his own or did you force him to?"

"I just asked him to read it I didn't force him to."

"I'm sure Jess has read Jane Austin."

"Maybe." Rory said absentmindedly thinking about what Paris said and what she had said to Paris. Did Jess compliment her like she wanted a guy to? Did Jess make her feel al the things that she had not felt with Dean since they got back together last year?

"Rory." Paris said pulling her out of the clouds

"What?"

"We've landed."

Next chapter will see Dean and Jess and maybe a fight. There will be no choice made between the two. Tristan will appear in chapter 4 or 5 and Logan won't show up until at least chapter 5, 6 or 7.

I know that this chapter is shorter but hopefully I'll get two out next week it's my semaine d'etude and I've no classes. Until then enjoy and review.


	3. Bring in the Boys

I can't Stop Thinking about You

Chapter 3 – Bring in the Boys

Disclaimer – I own nothing to do with Gilmore Girls

Thanks to my beta reader **Kylie.** I had some trouble accessing this when you sent it to me so I got someone to read it over and I hope I fixed the spots that were confusing. I'm going to send it to you from a different address for chapter 4 hopefully it works.

Lucas'sgirl – I have included a fight in this chapter the hunky blonde chiltonite will be showing up next chapter

Cosmopolitan – He is hot but I haven't decided on the pairing it's either going to be a Trory or a Rogan I don't think that it will be a literati and it most definitely will not be a narco

LHTDfan – Again the ending is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. The relationship/friendship between Tristan and Rory is going to be different than it is on the show. (they grew up together more so in this fic than the show)

CoCaCoLa29 – Dean will be beat up at least once in this story

Brown-eyed-beauty87 – I tried to cut down on the dialogue in this chapter I hope you like it.

I haven't decided who she's going to end up with. I will take suggestions as to the final pairing.

I'm gonna try to update every Saturday or so maybe sooner or maybe longer.

Okay I know that in the show Rory got home on Friday. But for my purposes assume that she got home on Thursday. Also assume that Luke and Lorelai have already made up.

Where we left off last time

"Rory." Paris said pulling her out of the clouds

"What?"

"We've landed."

"RORY! Only daughter of mine! Where are you?" Lorelai yelled running through the airport.

"Mom!" Rory screeched upon seeing her mother.

"I can't believe that you've been gone all summer. I've missed you."

"Well I'm back now."

"To Stars Hollow."

"To Stars Hollow."

When they got back to Stars Hollow they went immediately to Luke's

"Ahh coffee they didn't have coffee like this in Washington."

"You hungry?" Luke asked when he walked up to the table.

"Hamburger and fries… no I'll have onion rings… no I'll have fries."

"How about both."

"Great." She said as Luke walked away "I've missed this place."

"It's missed you too I think."

The next day Rory went around town handing out gifts and catching up with people. She goes into Luke's for coffee and Jess is working. She sits at the counter and he pours her coffee before she could ask. He asks her about her plane trip home because he already knew what had happened up until the night before she came home. He asked her how Paris' date went.

"Great actually. Rory answered "She came home after I fell asleep and she was in a great mood in the morning. I've got to go hand out more presents now. Oh yea, here you go. Bye" She said reaching into the small backpack that she was carrying around with the presents in. She pulled out a used copy of The Fountain Head, handed it to him and walked out of the diner.

Jess sat there staring at the book. She knew he didn't like Ayn Rand he thought he was a political nut and he didn't want to read the book but still it was a gift so he opened it to the first page and started reading, or trying to read the book.

After leaving the diner Rory made her way to Dean's house. They hadn't seen each other since she left for Washington because he had spent the summer with his family in Chicago and even though he had gotten back the night before she spent that night watching Wonka with her mother and gorging herself on junk food.

When she arrived at Dean's house she knocked on the door and Clara answered. Clara jumped at Rory and hugged her telling her how much she missed her. Dean had gotten called in to work at Doose's. On her way home Rory stopped at the market to day hi to Dean

Dean was in the rear of the store stocking beans. Rory walked up to him and "Hi." She said.

"Hi." He mumbled back not looking at her.

"How was your flight?" She asked, wondering where the hostility was coming from.

"Fine." He answered

"Did you get in on time?"

"Yep."

OK she thought monosyllabic man has taken another victim getting tired of this she asked him "Dean what's going on with you today?"

"Where were you last night? I thought that we were going to do something together."

"I was home with my mom, I'm sorry that I had a mother daughter night when I haven't seen her all summer."

"Well what about me you haven't seen me all summer either."

"My mother and I are freakishly close, if you haven't gotten the memo. She was in my life long before you came around and she'll be there long after you're gone."

"So you're thinking about me gone already. I guess I'll save you the trouble of breaking up with me. We're through." He said and walked into the back employee's only section. (Where they eat lunch during The Party's Over.) He slams the door and kicks a box on the floor out of frustration.

With that Rory turns and runs out of the market and back to her house, into her bedroom.

The next morning Rory and Lorelai made their way to the diner via the same route that they took the first time that Dean broke up with Rory on their 3 month anniversary. When they were almost there Rory started looking in peoples trash. There's just something about a break-up that makes that girl want to go dumpster diving. At Luke's Jess was working and Luke was upstairs on the phone. Jess walked over and poured them coffee

"I think I like him better." Lorelai said pointing at Jess. "He doesn't give me coffee lectures."

"Give him time." Rory sat there not taking anything in. Shane comes into the diner and Jess turns to her

"Hey."

"Hey" they kiss a quick peck and when Jess pulls himself away Shane is trying to follow him with her lips

"So?"

"Can't. Busy."

"No. Bye."

Shane walked out of the diner in a huff and Jess came over to the table and ha to ask Rory three times if she wanted more coffee. Her cup was empty and she didn't even remember taking a sip. Jess turned to Lorelai and asked her if she wanted more coffee but her cup was still half full.

"You drank my coffee didn't you?" Rory asked her mother.

"You weren't drinking it and it looked sad sitting there being ignored so I decided to make it happy and take it and give it a home."

"Yea, your stomach."

"Okay, where's the list?"

"What list?"

"The list of things that we can do to get us out of this town after the festival today. I know we'll go shopping. We'll leave right after lunch and go to Hartford and spend the day mall hopping we'll even get new outfits for dinner tonight. I vote Daisy Dukes and a rhinestone halter top."

"Fine shopping it is and new outfits but we have to be grown up about it. No halter tops to diner and no Daisy Dukes either."

"Aww please Mommy." Lorelai whined.

"Fine but you're wearing the Daisy Dukes under a grown up dress."

The girls went to the festival together and ate too much and had fun until Rory saw Dean and Clara making their way through the crowd. Rory meet Clara's eyes and knew that the girl wanted to come over and talk to her but the tension in Dean's arm that she was holding stopped her from coming over. After the band from NYC was finished their set Lorelai and Rory made their way back to the diner for a burger and a final cup of coffee or two or ten or fifteen before they went to Hartford to go shopping. In Hartford they both got some new clothes Lorelai talked Rory into some sexier tops nothing too revealing because Rory, as Vice President might, just might get invited to some more Chilton parties and Lorelai wanted her to be prepared. Really it was just fun for her to get Rory out of the studious shell that she had hidden behind the past two years at Chilton. When they got to the Gilmore house for dinner Emily was asking a lot of questions about Christopher and his presence at Sookie's wedding and in Lorelai and Rory's lives. After her questions were evaded or a few minutes she finally blurted out.

"I want a mature adult explanation for why the father of my granddaughter and her mother aren't together."

"His girlfriend's pregnant." Was Lorelai's response and with that she walked out of the house. Rory followed behind her stopping to say goodbye to her grandfather.

Enjoy and Review

LORI


	4. Back to School

I can't Stop Thinking about You

Chapter 4 – Back to School

Disclaimer – I own nothing to do with Gilmore Girls

Thank you to all my reviewers

OTHlover04, LoVe23 and brown-eyed-beauty87 Thanks so much I appreciate the compliments

Lucas'sgirl I love the kindergarten method of choice Enney Meeney miney moe

CoCaCoLa29 Glad that you are VERY HAPPY

Cosmopolitan yes I dare deprive you of Logan because it's my story. But don't worry he will show up soon

To my amazing Beta KylieX – Yes she really did say that and I have witnesses (my sister) and people really are up themselves I may just ue that phrase in the story if its ok with you

I haven't decided who she's going to end up with. I will take suggestions as to the final pairing. I've kinda started thinking that I don't want it to be a ROGAN if I get as far as 608, I might make it literati after he's published.

I'm gonna try to update every Saturday or so maybe sooner or maybe longer.

Oh my god I watched Gilmore Girls this week, and am suddenly hating Logan, and loving Jess. I love published Jess from Philly. He was sooo cute standing outside the gate. WE finally see the Emily that Lorelai was talking about all these years.

I know that this is progressing very slow there will be a big jump in the timeline soon.

Okay I know that in the show Rory got home on Friday. But for my purposes assume that she got home on Thursday. Also assume that Luke and Lorelai aren't fighting.

Here's a theory: Guys and girls can't be friends without one of them deciding that they like the other. It might not happen at the same time and but it will happen if its at the same time or if its just a crush then its fine but if only one of them likes the other more than they like them.

Where we left off last time

"I want a mature adult explanation for why the father of my granddaughter and her mother aren't together."

"His girlfriend's pregnant." Was Lorelai's response and with that she walked out of the house. Rory followed behind her stopping to say goodbye to her grandfather

The girls spent their weekend quite calmly, just the two of them. Monday morning came and Rory went off to Chilton in her car. The car that her grandmother had bought her not the car that Dean made her. Driving smoothly to Chilton she started to wonder why Dean had made her a car when she had the one that her grandmother had bought her. She realised that he had been weary of anything that tied her to Hartford society and the private school group. She remembered the day they had met she had been working as a pilgrim on the food bank drive he had walked over with a can of corn and 15 minutes later he was back with a can of peas and 15 minutes later it was a can of soup and he came back ever 15 minutes for two hours it was sweet. I should have known that, that was how the relationship was going to be from then on. She had asked him to a dance in sophomore year and he had been so jealous of her friendship with Jake (Jake is my invention, he's a darker version of Tristan (not evil dark colouring, and yes I spell colour with a "u") he has been one of Rory's good friends since they were young. Emily and his grandmother are on the DAR committee together. They had been friends since before they went to elementary school. They'd gone though the phases where Rory 'liked' Jake when they were in grade 4 and Jake had 'liked' Rory when they started junior high and she'd started to act and dress like a girl. She went through a real tomboy phase when she was younger. She started dressing up outside of school when they started the 7th grade.

Rory parked her car outside of Chilton and looked up at the building where she had spent so much of the past two years, she remembered the shock at the size of the building, her first day. When she walked into the school the walls were buzzing, everyone was moving around, looking for their classes, they were all talking at the same time, and one name kept coming up "Tristan". Rory was not paying any attention to the others around her, her nose in a book, her music on in her headphones, casually glancing up at the jostling crowd to avoid running into others. (This is possible I did it all the time in high school) When she got to her first class there were only two seats left all the other ones were taken. She settled herself onto the front seat and she opened her bag and took out her pens and opened her book. She loved the first day of school the new pens and notebooks, the fact that everyone still wanted to be there and they hadn't resigned themselves to the routine. The seat behind her was suddenly taken she didn't realise that someone had come up behind her until a voice whispered into her ear "Mary … Mary" in a singsong voice. She was leaning forward writing the date in her notebook. She turned around quickly and elbowed the person behind her in the nose. "Ouch!" the person behind her yelped. "My nose!"

She turned around and squealed "Tristan!"

"Yea and you broke my nose."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm back." (Tristan came to school in my story around the same time that Rory went to Chilton in the show. He became popular quickly moving through the crowd of girls until he got to Rory the only one that ever said no to him. They had started a tentative friendship with him up until Love daises and troubadours happened, and then everything with run away little boy) "For good."

"Wow that's great."

"Thanks Mare. We should catch up after school today." The innuendo evident in his voice.

"Sure Tristan we'll get together later." She said seriously making fun of him.

"Well, well Mary how you have changed."

"Yea just add the Magdalene to my name." She said sarcastically

"So seriously, do you want to hang out later and catch up?"

"That's alright I've got to hang around and see my teachers and make sure I'm up to date in all my subjects."

"Okay. See you then just listen for the angry Paris."

"See you then."

"Okay." Rory said as the teacher came into the class and started

After her student counsel meeting Rory walked out of the building and over to a bench and opened a book. A few minutes late she was joined by . . . none other than Jake who sat down next to her and threw his arm over her shoulder, in a gesture that looked intimate and romantic to an outsider but was simply a mark of how comfortable the two were around each other. "Can you give me ride home?" He asked.

"Sorry, I can't. Where's your car?"

"It broke down."

"And the lovely he-man rich-boy can't fix it himself."

"Yes."

"Hey." Tristan said coming up behind them, thinking that he was interrupting something.

"Hey!" Rory said jumping up and hugging him. "Welcome back."

'What was that for' Tristan thought.

"Rory." Jake said bringing her mind back to him.

"Jake." Rory said "Tristan and I are going to hang out and catch up. Oh I know. Do you mind going to the Hollow instead of your house. You can hang out with Lane, the band's rehearsing in the garage." (OK I'm not sure when the band started and I'm too lazy to look it up so just assume that the band started mid-season 2) "Tristan and I'll go to Luke's for coffee."

"Fine." He said walking towards her car.

"That ok with you Tristan?" Rory asked

"Sure." He replied

Next Chapter Tristan in Stars Hollow. Logan is showing up in a bit, I'm not quite sure when. Also our favorite Australian may make an appearance also.

Please Reply Thanks LORI


	5. Tristan in Stars Hollow

I Can't Stop Thinking About You

Ch. 5 – Tristan in Stars-Hollow

Ok I own nothing

Ok I was going to have this done sooner but I just finished a 2000 word history paper and I couldn't type anything for like a day I just couldn't bring myself to do it but here it is and it's the longest one yet. I spent the entire day on Friday with my foot in a chair at the hospital. I ran down a hill Thursday night and did a face plant kept going and screwed up my ankle. So I'm writing the last part of this story while on prescription strength pain medication.

Ok Jake does not have romantic type feelings for Rory they are just friends.

I still don't know who she's gonna end up with

Where we left off last time

Jake." Rory said "Tristan and I are going to hang out and catch up. Oh I know. Do you mind going to the Hollow instead of your house. You can hang out with Lane, the band's rehearsing in the garage. Tristan and I'll go to Luke's for coffee."

"Fine." He said walking towards her car.

"That ok with you Tristan?" Rory asked

"Sure." He replied

Rory threw her car keys to Jake so he could go straight to the Crap-Shack and she could give Tristan directions to Stars Hollow. Once they hit the highway she started rooting around in his CD collection.

"You do know that you're actually going to have to give me directions to this town of yours."

"Just keep going until you see a giant rooster. Oh my look what I found." She said holding up a copy of Justin Timberlake's JUSTAFIED.

"Where did that come from?" Tristan asked

"Your CD case silly." She said reverting back to third grade.

"But how did it get in there?"

"How should I know? It's your car."

"This is the first time I've been in this car since I got home from Military school."

"Really?"

"Yea my cousin's been down all summer and he was using this car."

"How old is this cousin?"

"He's in his freshman year at Yale." (Guess who his cousin is………)

"And why would he have this CD?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's a girl's and she left in here?"

"Ok like cousin like … well that didn't work."

"What's that?" Tristan said looking up ahead at a giant rooster.

"That's Monty."

"You were serious?"

"As a heart attack. We never joke about Monty the Magnificent."

The rest of the drive went by in a comfortable silence. Rory directed them into the town and to Luke's

"It says 'William's Hardware'" Tristan remarked, looking at the sign.

"Trust me." She said pulling him into the diner.

The diner is empty. Kirk is the only person there except for Jess who is working. Rory waves at him as she walks in and he smiles back and then sees Tristan and gives her a questioning look. 'Later' she mouths at him. Rory and Tristan go over to a table and sit down. Jess automatically walks over and places a giant mug in front of Rory. While he is pouring her coffee, she looks up at him and says. "Pie."

"Apple or Peach?"

"Or?"

"Got it. What about you?" he says turning to Tristan.

"Peach and a coke."

"Ok." Jess said walking away.

A few seconds later their pie was placed in front of them.

"Luke made me promise that I'd try." Jess said turning to Rory. "Please eat some vegetables. There done."

"I'm eating fruit."

"Well Ok." Jess said going back behind the counter getting his book out burring his nose in it.

Tristan who was feeling a little left out of the exchange noticing the closeness that the two seemed to share and the look in Jess's eyes as he looked at her. At that moment Tristan realised that Rory was oblivious to the feelings conveyed in the look. "So this is Stars Hollow."

"Yes. Wait until they realise that you brought me home. They're gonna want to know who the new blond guy is that's talking to the town princess."

"Princess?" He asked

"Yep. I'm beloved around here."

At that moment Rory realises that her coffee cup is empty. "Did you want another coke?" she asks Tristan as she gets up to go to the counter.

"No thanks."

"Jess." Rory says in a sing song voice as she waltzes up to the counter "more coffee please."

"No."

"Please. I've only had five so far today."

"Fine. So who's he?"

"That's Tristan. He goes to Chilton with me. Actually he just came back he's been away at school since," she pauses thinking how long it's been since he was gone, "while since you got here."

"Boarding school?"

"Nope military school."

"What ya reading?" he holds up The Fountainhead for her to see. "Good. Are the notes that I put in the margins helping?"

"Yea a bit."

"While I'm gonna go back over there see you later."

"Yea, later."

Tristan was observing Rory and Jess's interaction not quite sure of what he was seeing but feeling as if he was intruding on a private moment. At that moment he turned his head, looking out the window he saw a pair of older women walking quickly across the square towards the diner. They weren't stick figures to say the least one was wearing black and the other was dressed in the most outrageously coloured outfit that Tristan had ever seen outside of a circus, it was pink and purple and blue and green and a whole rainbow of colours that he couldn't begin to describe. At the same time Rory turned and saw Miss Patty and Babette walk across the square through the diner window, she quickly made her way back to Tristan and took his backpack and hers and placed them on the empty seats around the table.

"Get some homework out." Rory hissed at him digging into her backpack. "They won't sit down if they think that we're busy."

"Really Mary I could think of plenty of other was to be busy if that's all we need to do." He smirked.

"That's Miss Patty and Babette and if you're mean to me I'll let Miss Patty sneak up behind you."

"Why would that bother me?"

"She has a pinching habit and any other ways to occupy ourselves would just be seen as encouragement to her and the rest of the town to talk about you."

"I see why they would want to talk about me but why the rest of the town?"

"Have you ever heard of a small town grapevine? Those two are what Madeline and Louise aspire to be when they grow up."

"Oh."

During this discussion the two women had entered the diner and were trying to make it look as if they were just there for coffee by going up to the counter and flirting with Jess when he didn't say anything to encourage them they soon got bored and made their was towards Rory and Tristan.

"Rory who's your delicious friend?" Miss Patty asked.

"Miss Patty, this is Tristan. You've actually met him before."

Tristan held out his hand and Miss Patty grasped it between both of hers.

"Oh my, my, my, have I. Well then Tristan I'm sorry. I normally remember a cute face." (I'm not sure that Miss Patty and Tristan met when they were doing Romeo and Juliet but assume that they did.)

"He was in that play with me last year."

"Oh, yes with the annoying shrill girl. He was the dashing Romeo."

"We'll we've got studying to do. Tristan was away at school for a while and I'm helping him catch up."

"Alright, dear have fun. Tristan I hope to be seeing you around here a lot more."

"Well that was strange." Tristan said as Miss Patty took Babette and left the diner.

"That was Miss Patty and she was actually pretty tame for her. She didn't even try to sneak a peek at you butt."

"Tame? That was tame?"

"Yep."

"Scary."

They stayed at the diner all afternoon. Jake came in and sat down with them, followed shortly after by Lane, Dave, Brian and Zack. Lane and Dave were still pretending not to be dating for fear that they would tear the band apart but the attraction was obvious to any outsider, well any female outsider that is.

Tristan left right before supper time driving Jake home on his way to meet his cousin.

When Rory got back to the Crap Shack Lorelai was sitting in front of the TV the phone to her ear talking to Joe their friendly neighbourhood pizza boy. Motioning Rory over to the couch she said god bye to Joe and turned to Rory. "I hear you had a gentleman escort this afternoon."

"Yea I invited Tristan to Stars Hollow to talk about his life since I saw him last and to make sure he had covered all the material from the second half of last year. He was really behind in a few subjects so we didn't actually talk about him at all so he's gonna come hang out here over the weekend."

"Tristan? Bible boy? Called you Mary for a year and a half and you're willingly spending a day with him outside of hell?"

"Yep the one and only."

"Ok. So I was thinking John Cusack movie night."

"Sure, which movies?"

"I've got City Hall and High Fidelity."

Okay I know that I took a looooooooong time to get this update out but I hope you like it and I'm going to start Ch 6. right now.


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